Method of making ribbed plates.



F. H. RICHARDS. METHOD OF MAKING RIBBED PLATES. Q

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925,028. Patented Ju11e15,1909.

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Patent-ed June 15, 1909. 2 snng'rs-snnn'r z.

F. H. RICHARDS. METHOD OF MAKING RIBBED PLATES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1901.

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FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN 'IYPOGRAPHIC CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF IVIAKING RIBBED PLATES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Application filed July 16, 1901. Serial No. 68,453.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS I-I. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Ribbed Plates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of ribbed plates, and particularly to the manufacture of plates of this nature which are adapted to be used in the construction of typebars and typographic forms.

This invention has, more particularly, for an object, to provide an improved method of making such plates, and especially a method for making plates having under-cut ribs upon their surfaces.

In carrying my present improvements into practice, I utilize a suitable number of swaging members, herein also called formers, which are so located with relation to the blank to be converted into a ribbed plate, as to enable the formers, or keys, after the stock of the blank has by compression been caused to assume spaces unoccupied by the formers, to be readily withdrawn, thus leaving the surface of the plate with ribs alternating with intermediate channels. These channels may be of a desired cross-sectional form, but in that process of manufacturing typebars or typographic forms in which separate type bodies, type-heads or lines of types are engaged with the channels in the plate, these channels will usually be wider at the bottom than they are nearer the upper surface of the plate, thus resulting in a mortised or undercut configuration thereof, the more effectually to cause the engagement of the several type heads or bodies with the plate.

In the drawings accompanying the specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a ribbed plate made in accordance with the present method and adapted to form one of the component parts of a composite or built-up typographic form. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the plate set forth in Fig. 1 drawn to a somewhat lar er scale and showing, in ad dition to the p ate of that figure, a base or galley piece to which the plate is secured, while with the channels of the latter there is shown engaged a number of type-heads to constitute a typographic form. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the plate shown in Fig. 1, the plane of the section being transverse to the direction of the channels therein, and this view also showing in a conventional way one means for preliminarily channeling or grooving the plate, which preliminary channeling or grooving constitutes one step in the present method. Fig. 4 is a section of the roll and a part of the blank shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 indicates a subsequent step involved in the present method, this figure being a cross-sectional view drawn to a somewhat larger scale than Figs. 3 and 4 and showing one of the formers in place in a channel preliminarily formed in the surface of the blank. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3, representing still another step embraced in the present method, in which the formers or swaging members are shown in position and the stock between consecutive formers as having been compressed to fill the space between each consecutive pair of formers, this figure representing means in the nature of a suitably formed roll for accomplishing this lateral spreading of the stock. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the roll and a portion of the, plate shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the ribbed plate shown in Fig. 1, a part intermediate of the ends thereof being broken away, while the formers employed in giving size and shape to the channels of the plate are here shown in their respective positions before their withdrawal. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the formers shown in Fig. 8,

a portion intermediate of the ends beingbroken away. Fig. 10 represents still another step in the manufacture of a finished ribbed plate which may or may not be utilized in carrying the present improvements into practice according as it is or is not advisable to face the ribbed plate for the purpose of removing any fin or bur that may have been formed during the previous operations, this figure showing the intermediate channels as having been freed by the withdrawal of the formers and indicating in a conventional way, as heretofore, a surfacing or finishing roll in contact with the face of the plate; and Fig. 11 is an end view of a portion of the plate, and also of the finishing roll shown in Fig. 10.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

The present invention is particularly adapted for the making of a ribbed plate to be used as one of the component parts of a typebar or typographic form and will ordinarily be used for the purpose of carrying a plurality of lines of types or of type-heads, etc., which may be formed and engaged with the channels or grooves of the plate in any desired and proper manner. The plate, when formed, may constitute the entire body of the form, that is, it may be of such thickness that when the type--heads, etc., are engaged with it the upper or impression faces of such type-heads will be type-high. On the other hand, the ribbed plate may be utilized mainly as a carrier for the type heads, etc., being secured to an independent base or galley plate in order to bring the impression faces to the right height in the press.

In the manufacture of a plate suitable for the above purposes, a blank may be used of any proper material and dimensions. Thus, it may have a width corresponding to the full length of a line of types while the length of the blank may be as desired or convenient. The illustrated blank, designated in a general way herein by B, is, in the present case, of such thickness as that, when secured to a base or galley plate 13 the type-heads, indicated without preference by b, will be brought to the proper height, that is, will be type-high.

As a preliminary step in practicing the present method, a number of channels or grooves, designated. by 2, are formed in the upper surface of the blank in such a location and at such distances apart as correspond to the distance between the consecutive lines of composition. These channels or grooves 2 may be formed in any proper and convenient manner. Thus, the stock of the blank may be removed by suitable means to form the channels in the blank, or these channels or grooves may be rolled, swaged. or otherwise formed in the blank. There is represented in Fig. 3, which, it will be understood, is a conventional representation only of a means for rolling the channels, a roll 0 provided with a number of annular flanges 2- serving during the rolling process to reduce the thickness of the blank and form channels While the portions 3 of the rolls of less diameter are adapted to form intermediate ribs 3. As shown, the diameter of the roll C is, propor tionately to the length of the blank somewhat small, but it will be understood that the view is representative only of a manner in which channels or grooves may be formed in the blank and does not set forth relative proportions such as would be found most advantageous in practice. In reducing the blank to form channels or grooves by rolling the same therein, the process will most advantageously be one of gradual reduction arising rom a relative movement of the roll and blank back and forth, as a result of which the channels over, if the reduction of the blank is effected by a rolling thereof the blank will also need to be supported from below, as, for instance, on a separate roll indicated by dotted line C in Fig. 4:.

It will be noticed on referring to Fig. 3 that the channels 2 are substantially parallelsided, such, manifestly, being a necessary relation when the channels are rolled in the blank by a continuous process. Ordinarily, however, in the manufacture of a composite typographic form the cross-sectional shape of the several channels are most advantageouslyof a dovetailedform, thatis, the channels are wider at the bottom than at the top, and to effect this configuration I employ, in the practice of the present invention, a number of formers or keys, designated in a general way by D, which. are adapted to be fitted one in each preliminarily-formed channel or groove. The sides of each of these formers, when in position, taper toward the upper surface of the blank. The relation of each former or key to its channel when in position is indicated in Fig. 5, from which it will be noticed that while the former or key occupies substantially the entire Width of its channel at the bottom thereof, on the other hand, at the top of the channel there is considerable space between the edges of the blank and the key, see 2:, x.

A further step involved in the present method consists in accomplishing a spreading of the stock of the blank to cause the same to fill the unoccupied spaces at the sides of the formers. This spreading or flow of the material is accomplished in some appropriate way. Thus, there is shown in Fig. 6 a roll E in which a number of grooves 4 have been turned leaving intermediate annular flanges 5 which of such dimensions and so positioned as to fit between adjacent pairs of keys when the keys are in place. If this roll E and the blank with. its inserted keys, as shown in Fig. 6, are now moved back and forth relatively to each other and fed one against the other, it is evident that a movement or flow of the stock will take place until the stock is brought snugly against the keys on each side, and thereby swaged to conform to the contour of said swaging members or keys thus giving to the integral ribs an undercut form and to the a cross-sectional contour well adapted to securely hold a type-head when engaged with the channel. It is intended that these formers or keys, after the final rolling or other compression to spread the stock, shall be withdrawn from position.

To facilitate the separation of the plate and 1 the keys, each key, it will be noticed, is substantially parallel-sided from end to end not only at the lower portion d thereof, but at the top (1 as well, while each key may be 6 channels gradually increase in depth. Morel provided with a finger-opening cl for facili tating its removal. Similar remarks as to the operative and illustrated proportions of the roll E and the blank apply to Fig. 6, as were made with reference to the parts shown in Fig. 3, while a supporting-roll E may be also used corresponding to the supporting-roll C. It will be noticed, furthermore, that the upper portion d of each key, as seen in cross-sectional view, is substantially parallel-sided, and if the width of the flanges 4 are made substantially equal to the distance between contiguous sides of the upper portions of the keys when inserted, the positioning of the roll is facilitated, and the reduction is accomplished with a minimum tendency to form fins projecting above the surface of the plate.

Although I do not deem it essential in every instance to further treat the blank, it may, however, be necessary in some cases to surface the plate in order to remove any fins that may have been thrown up thereon, and to finish the same to a substantially plane surface. This may be readily accomplished by means of a finishing or grinding roll (see F, Figs. 10 and 11), which may be caused to traverse to and fro across the surface of the plate by any desired means. As before stated, the line of types or type-heads may be formed and engaged with such a plate by any desired method, the compression of the material to form the line of types or type-heads effecting ordinarily the engagement thereof with the plate. One method is that set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 435,777, issued to Roswell H. St. John, September 2, 1890 for type bar.

For the purpose of securing the ribbed plate where a construction of typographic form is used, embodying the employment of a separate galley or base plate B, there may be provided on one or both sides of the ribbed plate a flange 5, which serves as a securing strip for attaching the plate to such base or galley piece. 011 the other hand, the plate may be secured to such piece by means of fastening devices, such as screws or nails (see y, Fig. 2), these passing through the plate, for instance, at the bottom of the channels or grooves.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. That improvement in the art of making ribbed plates for typographic machines,

which consists in reducing the blank in certain portions, then locating formers in such reduced portions, then simultaneously compressing the stock of the blank between said formers so as to cause it to flow therearound, and then removing the formers.

2. That improvement in the art of making ribbed plates for typographic machines, which consists in providing a blank with channels, then locating forming devices therein, then simultaneously compressing the blank against said forming devices to thereby change the cross sectional configuration of said channels to a predetermined cross sectional configuration, and then longitudinally removing the said devices from said channels.

3. That improvement in the art of making typographic plates, which consists in making a number of ribs on the blank, placing a former between two of these, and concurrently swaging the said ribs against the former, thereby providing a groove of predetermined form, and then removing said former from the groove.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS.

Witnesses FRED. J. DOLE, C. E. Voss. 

